New Year's Eve may conjure up images of champagne flutes and stolen midnight kisses, but for revelers in Sao Paulo, there are more important matters to consider -- such as the color of their underpants.

Indeed, in South American nations such as Brazil and Bolivia, your choice of intimate apparel (red if you're looking for love, yellow if you're hoping for money) is said to impact your fortunes for the coming year. But that's not the only unusual custom believed to bring good luck on New Year's Eve: in the Netherlands, Dutch partygoers will be setting their discarded Christmas trees ablaze, while in Panama, residents will be following suit -- but with elaborate effigies of pop stars and political figures.